Situation at a glance: Netanyahu wants to defeat Israel’s enemies with Trump

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu congratulated US President Donald Trump on his inauguration and called for a common fight against Israel’s enemies. Netanyahu said in a video distributed by his office that he looked forward to working together to free the hostages still held in the Gaza Strip, “destroy Hamas’ military capabilities and end its political rule in the Gaza Strip.” Meanwhile, Hamas confirmed that the next release of hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners would take place on Saturday. Four abductees are to be released in accordance with the Gaza agreement.

In his speech at the traditional inauguration parade, Trump also commented on the hostages of the Islamist terrorist organization, with some relatives of those still held in Gaza standing behind him. They wanted to pressure the new US government to ensure that the Gaza agreement, which had been painstakingly negotiated over months, was fully adhered to, wrote the Times of Israel. A six-week ceasefire has been in force in Gaza since Sunday.

Will the Gaza war continue?

The relatives fear that Israel’s military will resume fighting after the first phase of the agreement at the behest of Netanyahu and that the head of government will prevent the release of the remaining hostages. After the ceasefire came into effect, Hamas released three female Israeli hostages on Sunday. In return, Israel released 90 Palestinians from prison. In the first of the three phases of the agreement, a total of 1,904 Palestinian prisoners are to be released in exchange for 33 of 94 remaining hostages. At least 34 of those abducted in Gaza are believed to be already dead.

On the eve of the ceasefire, Netanyahu had reiterated that if the further negotiations planned shortly failed, Israel would resume fighting and achieve all war aims, including the destruction of Hamas. Israel has the right to do that and Trump supports that, he said.

Trump on Gaza: “phenomenal location by the sea”

Meanwhile, when asked by a journalist in the White House whether the ceasefire would continue, the new US President replied that he was not confident. “It’s not our war, it’s their war,” Trump said. The “other side” is “very weakened”. He looked at a picture from Gaza – it looked like a large demolition site, most of the people there were dead. It had to be rebuilt in “a different way.”

Trump praised the devastated Gaza Strip, where the civilian population suffers from catastrophic living conditions and tens of thousands of people have been killed and injured since the start of the war, for a “phenomenal seaside location” and “best weather.” You can do “some beautiful” and “fantastic” things with it. There are many right-wing extremists in Israel who would like to repopulate the Gaza Strip.

According to the United Nations, 915 trucks carrying relief supplies arrived in the Gaza Strip on the second day of the ceasefire to supply the Palestinian population – significantly more than during the fighting. Before the war, which was triggered by the Hamas massacre on October 7, 2023, around 500 trucks transported goods to the coastal strip on normal days.

The Gulf emirate of Qatar, known for its close ties to Hamas and mediating the conflict with Israel, also said it would provide 1.2 million liters of fuel per day for the Gaza Strip during the first ten days of the ceasefire. Israel’s government has repeatedly accused Hamas of diverting a large portion of aid supplies for its own purposes and withholding urgently needed goods from the civilian population.

Netanyahu wants to “defeat the Iranian terror axis” with Trump

In his congratulatory message to Trump, Netanyahu also called for a common fight against Iran’s influence in the Middle East. “I am confident that we will succeed in defeating the Iranian terror axis,” said Israel’s head of government. In addition to Hamas, Tehran’s allies include Hezbollah in Lebanon, which has been severely weakened militarily by Israel, and the Houthi militia in Yemen. Israel also suspects Iran of operating a nuclear weapons program that must be stopped by all means. The Islamic Republic denies this accusation.